Shōta Imanaga, Cubs agree to deal (sources)

The Cubs are making their first big move of the offseason, agreeing to a deal with Japanese left-hander Shōta Imanaga, pending medical review, sources told MLB Network insider Jon Paul Morosi on Tuesday night. The club has not confirmed the move.

Chicago has had a quiet winter apart from bringing on manager Craig Counsell, but the deal for Imanaga gives them a frontline starter in the rotation. The southpaw joins countrymate Seiya Suzuki, who came to the Cubs in 2022 after nine seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball.

Imanaga was posted by the Yokohama DeNA BayStars, allowing him the chance to seek an opportunity in Major League Baseball after eight seasons in NPB. The deadline for the posting period was set to expire on Thursday at 5 p.m. ET.

Though Imanaga hasn’t received the same level of hype as countryman Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the 30-year-old left-hander is a terrific pitcher in his own right, profiling as a potential No. 2 or No. 3 starter in the Majors.

Utilizing a four-pitch mix that features a mid-90s fastball, a splitter, a slider and a curveball, Imanaga posted a 3.18 ERA in 1,002 2/3 innings during his NPB career.

That included a 2.53 ERA with 306 strikeouts over 291 2/3 innings across the past two seasons, as he bounced back after undergoing left shoulder surgery in 2020, a procedure that forced him to miss the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

MLB fans got a good look at Imanaga when he pitched for his country in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. After delivering strong performances against South Korea during pool play and Italy in the quarterfinals, Imanaga started and won the gold-medal game against Team USA.